Parkland Shooting Time Line

[buck460XVR]

In my experience this varies wildly. "Security" around hear means you either have to walk past or through the office. In some cases (but not most) you have to be buzzed in. THE line of defense in most places is the secretary if he or she happens to be at her desk. I kid you not the secretary at one school, when I asked about it, dug around in her desk and after a minute or so showed me the hornet spray she could use to spray at someone trying to get by without permission.

More than likely, because of pay scale, that person sitting at the desk at the door is going to be a $12.00 an hour aid and not a $15.00 an hour clerk/secretary. Her training is going to be minimal. Odds are it is a part time position only when school is in session. As for the Hornet spray, several years ago in one of our school security seminars, Hornet/wasp spray was actually recommended by the Police officer(Captain at the time....now the Chief) giving the seminar. Since then, that suggestion has been rescinded for obvious reasons.

School have many choices to make in how they spend the little bit of monies they have. Many times these choices are made on the priorities of the admin, school board and parents. Do we put new sod on the football field or increase school security? Do we hire a new teacher and get new computers, or do we invest in better security cameras? A local basketball team is playing in the state championship finals this weekend. The first team they oppose star player pleaded guilty to felony armed robbery on Tuesday of this week. What priorities does one see there? Not only does this kid(charged as a adult) not fit the description of school athletics and a code of ethics, but they allow an admitted violent offender into their school after hours everyday with no security. Just so maybe they win a state championship. There is also the matter of a budget. If a school district does not have funds to immediately increase security measures, it does not happen. Then you have public opinion. I hear parents everyday state they do not want their kids going to a school that looks like/is operated like, a prison. I also hear them whine when they need to go to the front office and be "buzzed" in so they can talk to the principal about their misbehaving kid. These folks claim there's really no need for all this security and school taxes are already too high. Schools are just a extension of the area they cover, even tho they are mandated to teach minimal standards. Folks, even in the best case scenarios, get lazy and casual when it comes to security. Nuttin' ever happens here. As I said before, resident students know the buildings and accesses better than the administration. They know where students are at any time of day and know how to get to them. We will never stop these types of shootings completely, but we can minimize the damage they do.